Multi-Genre Author

Have you ever been shunned for your faith? Amira has in the book Aleigha Israel recently released. And that isn’t the only problem she will face in life. Find out more about the book and be sure to check out the giveaway.

About the Book

She knew the decision would change her life. But she didn’t know she’d have to fight to survive.

I bring to you another review installment from one of Victorine E. Lieske’s The Married Series books. This time I read the book ‘Acting Married’. It’s the fifth book in this series. If you recall, I’ve also read the second book called ‘Reluctantly Married’ and the third book called ‘Mistakenly Married’. You can find their respective reviews HERE and HERE. And, as you can see, The Married Series books do not need to be read in order. All of them are standalone sweet romances.

Without further ado, here is the information on Acting Married, as well as my review!

ACTING MARRIED

By: Victorine E. Lieske

Tara McDermott needed a job, so she took the only thing available—cleaning house for the swoon-worthy actor, and Hollywood Bad Boy, Rick Shade. When he comes up with a crazy plan to tame his wild reputation by marrying her, she reluctantly agrees so she can pay off her debts and move her daughter back to the Midwest where life is simpler. If only he wouldn’t make her heart pound every time he kisses her.

Rick’s reputation is in the toilet and it’s affecting his job. In order to get a good role, he needs to show Hollywood he’s now a family man. After enticing Tara with a large sum of money to go through with the farce, he sets out to show the public he’s in love. But Tara’s soft lips keep calling to him and soon he doesn’t know what’s pretend and what’s real.

I have to admit that out of the three books I’ve read so far in this Married Series, I enjoyed this one the best. However, I think it fits right in line with the others. They’re sweet. They’re clean. They end happily-ever-after, the way a good romance should, in my opinion. Perhaps what made me like this one most was that it has some Hollywood-ness to it.

The author did a great job writing this book. It flowed nice, and I loved how each character had the same amount of time devoted to them. It helped me to connect with them, and have a deeper grasp on how they felt towards the other. In my opinion, that just makes for good attraction, tension, and ultimately, a head-over-heels-in-love romance.

With all of this in mind, I rated the book four stars. It was one star away from perfect because of the ending. It’s not that the ending was bad. It’s just that I felt it lacked a punch or something. I can’t put my finger on it, so I apologize for being very vague. I still enjoyed the book very much, and would totally recommend to those looking for a clean, sweet romance to read.

Are you married? Engaged? Dating? Or someone looking to improve your relationships? I know there are a lot of great reads out there on how to do so, but here is one both my husband and I have recently read.

Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs

By: Emerson Eggerichs

Here is the short blurb from Amazon’s website regarding this book: Reveals the secret to couples meeting each other’s deepest needs–without love she reacts without respect, and without respect he reacts without love, and a painful, negative cycle begins.

My husband and I actually got this book a long time ago, I think as a wedding gift. When we started reading it, we stopped after the first section because, quite frankly, we both felt that too much pressure was put on the woman in the relationship. It seemed like Emerson was saying that the woman needs to be more respectful, and because she isn’t, the man was unloving and it was okay to be so. We also saw at least one example that he clearly put the woman in the wrong, and we just felt it clearly wasn’t so. Needless to say, we donated the book without finishing.

Moving forward to 2018. Our church was offering a class called Love & Respect. We like finding ways to improve our marriage so we thought we’d take it. It never dawned on us that this might be related to the book that we once tried. The first day of class was slightly shocking because we got our book, and it was this one. We were not thrilled to even read it, but of course we would seeing as it was part of the class.

This time we finished it! Again, years later, we still didn’t like that first section of the book. However, it got so much better. I think that Emerson gave great examples later on, on how to energize your relationships and even gain rewarding relationships. And even though the book ended up being far better than we realized, the video series we did in the class was so much better! We found Emerson to be quite funny!

I decided to rate this book four stars. It’s one shy of perfect because of the first part we don’t care for so much. But if you get passed that, it’s actually really good.

Love & Respect is geared toward married couples. However, do not hesitate to try it if you’re engaged or dating. It never hurts to start the relationship or soon-to-be married journey off on the right foot! There’s a lot of great things in here. And for those that are single and not looking to be a part of any relationship, it can still work. This can be beneficial for the relationship between co-workers, parents and children, any man-woman relationship really.

Bottom line, it helps you recognize why the opposite gender may act one way. It gives you tools to reverse it. And it gives hope that regardless of how the other responds, you can be rewarded for doing the right thing. See, good for anyone!

Like I said, the video series is way better so I’d recommend that over the book, but this is easier to get a hold of probably so this works, too. To get your copy, please go to:

Having seven sons is a honor above no other. Which is why she is a disappointment. The only girl of seven children, she brought shame to her family. Who knew something like this could be turned into a book, but Rachel Rossano has done just that with her book, Seventh Born. Read on to learn more about the book and enter the giveaway.

About the Book

In a world where seventh born sons are valued for their strength and power, she is born a daughter.

Zezilia Ilar is the disappointment. Born after six brothers, she was supposed to be the son to restore her family’s prestige. She intends to remedy her shortcomings by being a dutiful daughter, marrying well and producing children, preferably a set of seven sons. But when someone offers her an alternative, she begins to dream of more.

In a society that worships a goddess, he follows the Almighty.

Hadrian Aleron, as a seventh son of a seventh son, stands to take up the second highest position in government, Sept Son. His main qualification for office is his birth. Despite preparing for this role from childhood, he does not desire what is to come. As a follower of the Almighty, he knows he will be the target of many, and his faith might eventually lead to death.

About the Author

Rachel Rossano lives with her husband and three children in the northeastern part of the United States. Homeschooled through high school, she began writing in her early teens. She didn’t become serious about pursuing a career as an author until after she had graduated from college and happily married. Then the children came.

Now she spends her days being a wife, mother, teacher, and household manager. Her evenings and free moments are devoted to her other loves, writing and book cover design. Drawing on a lifelong fascination with reading and history, she spends hours creating historical feeling fantasy worlds and populating them with characters who live and breathe on the page.

Giveaway

Rachel is giving away an eBook of her book. You can enter here. Your odds of winning increase with every person you refer so spread the word! Good luck, and I hope you win!

Excerpt

A humid haze filled the air, smothering my ability to breathe. Stale air filled my senses as I focused on the temperature outside the windows. Sunlight, bright and hot, flooded the world, painting the grass brown and wilting the plants. Only the trees, tall and strong, seemed unaffected by its blistering gaze.

A tentative trace of plum, cool and sweet, touched my tongue. It beckoned me to linger on the taste, much pleasanter than the oven beyond the windows. I pushed the thought away and continued to admire the trees as they stood motionless in the nonexistent wind.

“Well done,” Errol commented from his place behind his desk. Considering the topic of study, he had allowed a temporary lifting of the no talking ban. “You can release the image now.” He closed the book as I slowly withdrew my focus from the heat. “You have now mastered the ability to block Thought-leading with Image-fixation. Well done.” He scribbled something in his notebook before setting it aside.

“Now let us try shutting out completely. This will be your first line of defense. Image-fixation, Mental-blocks, and Safety-zones are all tools for when they have gotten through your defenses, which are Walling, Sealing, and Shuttering.”

“And these are all defensive forms against interrogation?” I asked to make sure I was clear of what to use when.

“Correct.” Errol readjusted himself in his seat. “Walling is a defensive measure that Talents in precarious positions use at all times. Within their thoughts, they build a wall around certain topics. For example, a Talent who is undercover among other Talents must wall off all topics, facts, and ideas that are not in keeping with his persona. By doing so, he protects them from detection by a mind brush, random thought exchange, or sending.”

“So the Sept Son must use this.”

“Constantly,” Errol agreed. “Now choose a thought that you do not want me to access.”

Choosing the image of Selwyn watching Candra hammer a nail, I carefully built a mental stone wall around it.

“Ready?” Errol asked.

I nodded. Instantly, plum filled my taste buds. I watched with interest as he skimmed my thoughts, nudging gently at some, while completely avoiding others. Then suddenly he was at the wall.

I’ve got some big news that I want to share with the whole world!

About a year-and-a-half ago, dear friends of mine, the Van Malsens, answered the call to partner with Operation Mobilization and head to Ireland. With only 1.5% of the population in Ireland professing to have a personal relationship with Christ, the Van Malsen family is partnering with OM to share the gospel, build relationships, make disciples, and be active in the local church. The Van Malsen family is also practically serving at Lacken House to maintain and develop the five-acre property to allow the current OM ministries to continue to grow in order to reach the lost, equip the local churches throughout Ireland, and to mobilize Christians to put their faith into action.

The reason I am sharing this information with you all is because I am excited to announce that I, my husband, and two boys will be going to Ireland on a mission trip from June 1 to June 11, coming alongside the Van Malsen family and Operation Mobilization!

Here is what we’ll be doing while in Ireland. In addition to simply caring for and loving on the Van Malsen family (who just welcomed a baby boy by the way!), we will be helping out practically with day-to-day things at home and at the OM Lacken House. A group of men, including Jeremy, my husband, will be coming during this week to work specifically on the chalet roofs that desperately need to be redone so that Lacken House can host short-term teams for the different outreaches done during the year. We’ll also have the opportunity to do street evangelism one night during that week. In short, we’ll be getting to know what the Van Malsens do, getting to know their co-workers, getting to know their Irish friends, getting to visit their church, and basically getting to do life together. Other than family, the Van Malsens have not had any visitors so we’re glad we can go and encourage them in person and work alongside them!

Where do you come in? First and foremost, please pray for us. A trip like this is huge, and something that none of us have done before. A lot of things are involved and there are a lot of unknowns. We ask you pray for our safety, sanity, patience, and that our hearts remain in the right place. Most importantly, pray that our trip will be a blessing to the Van Malsens and the Operation Mobilization team, as well as may it be a chance for us to be God’s hands and feet in Ireland.

Another way you can help, if you feel led, is to support us financially through a tax-deductible donation. We are looking to raise roughly $3,400 in order for all four of us to go. If you would like to help us in this way, you can do so by going to the following link:

Now I know many of you have no idea who I am outside of the fact I am an author. But I don’t want to put a limit on God. Many people that know me personally have told me to tell anyone and everyone because you just never know who might be willing to give, and the extra prayers never hurt! So, thus the reason I am blogging on this and sharing on all my social media platforms.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and for considering donating to this cause. It’s only because of family and friends (including you!) that this trip is possible. My family and I look forward to having you come alongside us on this adventure!

For Thanksgiving last year, my family and I were able to visit my sister in the Washington, D.C. area. While enjoying our time together, she had mentioned she had some books that I might be interested in. I took a look at them, and noticing they were romances, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to read them. They are both paperbacks, which I have to get used to again, but she was willing to give them to me for free so that works!

The first book that I chose to read of the two was a book by Chelsea Fine, called Best Kind of Broken. It’s a new adult romance, a genre I don’t have a lot of experience with. I do know that this genre tends to be filled with a little more passion/sex so I hoped the book wouldn’t be bombarded with it. Thankfully, it wasn’t!

Anyway, before I share with you all my thoughts/review, here are the basics of this book:

Best Kind of Broken

By: Chelsea Fine

SOMETIMES MOVING ON MEANS MOVING IN

Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can’t. And the damage is done. She’s hoping that a summer of free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there’s a problem: the resident handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more–until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid him, possibly forever. Now he’s right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she’d long buried . . .

Levi can’t believe he’s living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple “sorry” won’t suffice–not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie’s better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she’s so close, Pixie’s heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear–he can’t live without her.

What did I think?

This is a tale of two broken souls finding home in one another. After a tragic accident, two people are left scarred, guilty, and feeling like they’re left to blame. When they open up, both find acceptance, forgiveness, and the love they had before their worlds were turned upside down.

What I think worked well was the author did a fantastic job alternating between the male and female point of view, each chapter switching from one to the next. Writing in first person really helped me engage with the characters, feeling what they would/did feel. The storyline was well-written. I really felt like I was a part of the story. And reading the novel this way, it’s making me love first person point of view more and more. I might even try to write a novel this way!

The thing I didn’t like, which is why I only rated it four stars instead of five, was some of the language and scenes of sexual nature. Although, I don’t feel any of it was overdone, it was still enough for me to knock it down from perfect. New adult novels are known for this, as mentioned above, so if you’re interested in reading this, please do keep that in mind. And again, it wasn’t as bad as other new adult stories that are out there (from what I’ve heard).

Overall, yes, I rated it just four stars. It really was a great novel by a talented author. For those who like to read new adult romance, this would be perfect!

If you are interested in reading this book, you can find a copy of it here:

I finally found a book that has a name I absolutely love! When searching for my next thriller novel to read, I came across this one. Not only was the name awesome, but the storyline wasn’t bad! Before going into too many details, as in usual fashion, I’ll give you basic details of the book first. Here it is…

Ash – A Thriller (Asher Benson Book 1)

By: Jason Brant

9 AM EST: A senator shoots himself on national television.

10:32 AM EST: An entire floor of government agents leap to their death from their office building.

12:57 PM EST: All the police officers inside a station murder each other.

And the day has just begun.

Lieutenant Asher Benson left Iraq with a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and a Purple Heart. His doctors warned that the symptoms would be life altering. They had no idea. As his body healed, the thoughts of those around him began to echo through Ash’s mind, stretching the boundaries of his sanity.

Five years later, Ash is drowning the voices with copious amounts of booze and self-loathing.

When unidentified intelligence agents abduct him in broad daylight, Ash is thrust into a world of espionage and assassinations. A unique terrorist is operating on U.S. soil, and the government needs Ash, and the malady that has plagued him for half a decade, to find the killer.

*Ash is the first book in the Asher Benson thriller series, which is full of snarky humor and nonstop action.

Non-stop action is right! From scene one to the end, the main character, Asher Benson, is constantly on the move, for good and not so good reasons. And speaking of Asher Benson, those who know me know I love the name Asher. That is the name we gave our second son after all! It was truly neat to read a novel with an awesome name like that.

I have to say the humor was great. It’s not for everyone, though! But I found it comparable to Adam Sandler, which I like. Not all of it is clean so be careful on that!

Overall, I thought the book was well-written. The descriptions were great, the storyline flowed smoothly, and the whole premise is fascinating. We’re talking telepathy and using ‘the force’! Star Wars fans may like that. Pretty fancy! The novel takes place in and around Washington, D.C., which is a city I’ve come to really love, so that was another plus.

This was a novel I really enjoyed. For all the reasons above, I have rated it five stars. Though this is the first book I’ve read from Jason Brant, it probably won’t be the last. A job well done, Mr. Brant!

Christmas may be over, but that doesn’t mean we need to stop reading holiday novels! I find novels of this type are heartwarming, happy, and magical. There’s always time for that. And seeing as it’s winter in half the world, there’s no better time to read a book that takes place during this time of year.

The book I am about to share with you is not only about Christmas. It’s also about dogs! Well, sort of. There’s a cute golden retriever that plays a very important role in the romance part of the story. Here it is:

NOELLE’S GOLDEN CHRISTMAS

By: Tamie Dearen

When it comes to the Christmas season, Noelle Holiday is a real Scrooge…

December isn’t filled with the magic of Christmas for Noelle, just the looming dread she’s about to lose something else dear to her. Will she ever be rid of her Christmas curse?

When she adopts an injured shelter dog, she discovers the love of her life… a Golden Retriever named Abby. Perhaps being single is God’s plan for her, but at least she isn’t alone.

Her meddling family, however, is convinced she needs a man in her life. They introduce her to two irresistible men who couldn’t be more alike. Or more different. Both men sweep into her life, testing her faith, and stirring up desire and confusion in equal measure.

If she can just get through this humbug holiday without another heartache!

This sweet Christmas Romance tells the story of a believer, struggling to implement her faith in her everyday walk and battling fear to find the agape love that drives it away.

BONUS: Within this book you will find a link to hear an original song, a replay of the event which takes place in the story. Enjoy!

Noelle’s Golden Christmas is the first book in the Holiday, Inc. Christian Romance series. If you remember correctly, you’ll know that I have already read book number two, Haley’s Hangdog Holiday, which you can find the review for at HERE. As you may have guessed, you can read out of order as these can be standalone. And, before I forget, book number three, Shara’s Happy New-foundland Year, is now available!! You can find that HERE.

Anyway, I have to admit that I liked Haley’s Hangdog Holiday better than Noelle’s Golden Christmas. However, Noelle’s Golden Christmas was pretty good. As typical with all of Tamie Dearen’s work, the writing is phenomenal. The characters are well-developed. The scenes are written so that you really feel like you’re in the novel. I also love the dogs in these novels. I think it’s neat to add this extra story to the romance.

What I didn’t particularly like this time around was that the romance was rushed in my opinion. There’s chemistry at first, but by the end of the novel, they’re so in love and are engaged, and it’s only been like a month. I know that sometimes that works for people, but to me, that’s not typical. So, I didn’t feel a connection like I had hoped.

It is a clean novel, and one that I would totally recommend. I’ll even be reading the third book at some point. But Noelle’s Golden Christmas didn’t totally do it for me. And I hate saying that because I really love Tamie Dearen’s work. Having said all this, I am rating the book four stars instead of five.

Of note, there is some tough issues mentioned – eating disorders and harming oneself. But it is done tastefully and there is redemption!

How about another thriller? I’ve been doing a lot of those lately, haven’t I. All for good reasons, as I’ve shared before. This one, however, isn’t quite a thriller. It’s more a suspense. There’s also a romantic element to it, which sweetens it up a bit. Would you like to know more about this book? Let me share!

Not What She Seems

By: Victorine E. Lieske

Steven Ashton, a billionaire from New York, and Emily Grant, on the run from the law…and when they meet he can’t help falling for her. What he doesn’t know is that interfering in her life will put his own life in danger.

When billionaire Steven Ashton couldn’t stand his high society social life anymore, he left the stress of New York on a vacation for his soul. The need to meet real down to earth people led him to a small Nebraska town. He didn’t want to lie about who he was, but he couldn’t exactly tell them the truth.

Emily could have easily fallen in love with Steven, under different circumstances, but her past was catching up with her and she needed a new life. If the authorities found out about her, she could lose the one thing that meant everything, her four year old son.

I have read other books by Victorine E. Lieske before. I figured this one would be a good one to try. After all, she’s great with her romance novels! So how does she do with suspense? Let’s find out. I’ll first share what I liked.

Not What She Seems is very well-written. I thought the storyline was enjoyable and easy to follow. I love that it’s a clean novel. Many books in this genre tend to be even just a slightly bit dirty. This one wasn’t whatsoever. So that’s a huge plus. Especially for those younger people who like to read suspense. Another huge plus was that you never find out the culprit until the very end. I have to admit that it wasn’t someone I had suspected so kudos to Victorine for keeping it a mystery!

Was there anything I didn’t like? There were a couple of things. The first was that toward the end, I had to reread some parts just to make sure I was following right. Overall, the book is very easy to follow and makes tons of sense. There was just a few parts at the end where I had to recheck. Another downfall is that much of the story was predictable. Not so much the biggest part of the book, but much of the rest was. Lastly, I wasn’t feeling the romance aspect of the story at all. It was cute, but didn’t do anything for me.

All in all, I rated this four stars! If you go to the Amazon page for this novel, which I have the link just below, you’ll see that it has tons of reviews all in favor of this story. It’s also a New York Times Bestseller so that says something, right? Okay. Now that I said my piece, go check it out!

I know it’s a little late in the year to be talking about pumpkins. After all, Christmas is just one week from today, and who in the world has pumpkins left!?! Now is the time for Christmas trees, right? But a thought hit me on something we did back in October and so I thought now was a good a time as any to share it.

Every year there is a church not far from us that does what is called a Pumpkin Walk. Basically, it’s where you can walk through this little trail in the woods owned by this church, and all along the way there are pumpkins that have been carved. This was our third year going, and we have never been disappointed. There are tons and tons of pumpkins, with a variety of different carvings, all way better than anything I could ever do. To give you some examples, here are some pictures from that night:

Some neat stuff, right? And there was a lot more of that!

Anyway, this is the thought that hit me, and I guess it could go one of two ways. First is, we can be like a pumpkin. Life’s failures and triumphs can carve us. Sometimes it might make us stronger, our carving beautiful. Sometimes it takes a toll on us and the carving doesn’t come out so well. Either way, we are all carved into something. What is your something?

Or, secondly, yet somewhat the same, we can carve out our lives or paths into who we want to be, and what we want to do, or where we want to go. We can choose to be good, and kind, and loving. Or rude, controlling, selfish. We can work our hardest or measly get through. We can choose living life to the fullest or in a slump. How will you carve your ‘pumpkin’?

Hopefully some of that makes some kind of sense. It hit me sort of fast and I tried writing it the way I thought about it. That doesn’t always work, lol, but I tried. Even if you get nothing out of that, look at those pumpkins!! Aren’t they gorgeous!!

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